Will New Pepsi Bottle Boost Sales?

New Pepsi bottle - with distinctive easy-grip shape

Pepsi is introducing a redesigned bottle (at right) for the first time in nearly 17 years. The label is smaller, allowing more soda to be viewed. And the lower half of the bottle has a swirl shape for easy gripping.

Bottles are critical branding cues for soft drink brands, especially in single-serve purchasing situations (such as consumers searching for a drink in the chiller case of a convenience or drug store).
"We started with single serve, because it is the package you're seen drinking and holding," states a Pepsi VP-marketing.

Coca-Cola's hourglass bottle

Archrival Coca-Cola has built entire campaigns around its trademark hourglass Coke bottle (modern version is at left).

Now Pepsi wants its bottle to be instantly recognizable and have a functional benefit, as well as playing a role in supporting brand image. The new bottle is "not uniform, it's a little asymmetrical, there's a little edginess and playfulness, which is consistent with Pepsi's equities and youthful spirit," the Pepsi VP explains in an Ad Age article.

The logo won't change, but it may take other shapes and sizes for resonance with specific advertising campaigns. Watch for more tweaks as Pepsi implements its "Live for Now" theme through all elements of the marketing mix.